Obituaries
Earl ‘Jim’ Nussbaum Jr.
Colville
Memorial service for Earl James “Jim” Nussbaum Jr., 68, was Monday at Schanzenbach Funeral Home in Chewelah.
Mr. Nussbaum, who was born in Chewelah, died Thursday.
He grew up at the Quarry on Browns Lake Quarry Road. He attended school in Chewelah and graduated in 1954 from Jenkins High School, where he received the Merle B. Snyder sportsmanship trophy.
In 1956 he married Janet Potter, and they continued to live in Chewelah.
Mr. Nussbaum worked for Alms Chevron Service Station during high school and for a number of years after. He later was the manager of the CRA Bowling Alley in Chewelah for 10 years.
He operated his own Chevron Service Station in Colville for more than 10 years, then hired someone to manage it for him and went to work for the Stevens County Road Department.
He was a member of the Cougar Boosters, and as club president, helped build the football stands and put in some new lights. He also was involved in the Masonic Lodge.
Mr. Nussbaum enjoyed playing pinochle and cribbage, walking his dog, snowmobiling, hunting, bowling and picking huckleberries.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, Gary Nussbaum of Chewelah and Ken Nussbaum of Elko, Nev.; his mother, Dorothy Lawrence of Chewelah; two brothers, Robert Nussbaum of Chewelah and Jack Nussbaum of Hayden, Idaho; and three grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Jim Nussbaum Memorial Fund at American West Bank. All donations will be given to the Chewelah Cougars Football Team.
May Coinson
Hope, Idaho
Graveside service for May M. Coinson, 97, was held Monday at Lakeview Cemetery in Sandpoint.
Miss Coinson died last Wednesday.
She was born in Waterbury, Conn., to Swiss immigrants Edmond and Marie Coinson and her family returned to Europe when she was 16.
She grew up in France and Switzerland and then accompanied family members when they returned to the United States and settled in the Mojave Desert in the 1950s.
Mrs. Coinson moved to the Pacific Northwest 24 years ago to be near her nieces and nephews.
She was a skilled embroiderer and enjoyed her cat, Judy. She was affectionately known by many as the Chocolate Lady due to all the candy bars she gave away.
Survivors include nieces and nephews, Elisabeth O’Meara of Sandpoint, Janou and David Scherb of Hope, Idaho, and Anne and Gary Finer and Philippe Lage, all of Spokane.
Julia Bauman
Spokane
Funeral for Julia Anna Bauman, 83, was Monday at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home.
Mrs. Bauman died Nov. 29. Born in Great Falls, she grew up in Power, Mont., on a wheat farm. She enjoyed sports and played on the high school girl’s basketball team for the Power Pirates.
She married Bob Bauman in 1943, and they followed the available construction work after World War II and settled in Medical Lake in 1954.
Mrs. Bauman held many jobs, including as a certified occupational therapist at Eastern State Hospital from 1955 to 1976. She also was a homemaker.
She enjoyed playing the organ and clogging.
Her husband died in 1982.
Survivors include four sons, Lonnie, Larry, Jim and Bill Bauman; a sister, Rose Dirkis; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Katherine Yergens
Newport, Wash.
Service for Katherine “Kaye” Yergens, 94, will be today at 2 p.m. at Sherman Knapp Funeral Home in Newport, Wash.
Mrs. Yergens, a longtime Newport resident, died Thursday. She was born in Minot, N.D.
In 1912 her family relocated to Saskatchewan, Canada, where she met Frank Yergens. They were married in 1930 and moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1939.
In 1943 the family settled in Spirit Lake, Idaho. Mrs. Yergens studied to become a professional hairdresser, opening her own styling salon in Spirit Lake. She closed the salon in 1952, when she and her husband moved north of Newport to start a dairy farm. In addition to farming, Mrs. Yergens raised a big garden, turkeys, chickens and calves and worked for the Newport School District as an assistant cook.
She and her husband farmed until retiring in 1972, when they moved onto acreage near the Pend Oreille River.
Mrs. Yergens was an avid gardener, artist, chef of traditional Norwegian food and bird watcher.
She was a member of the Davis Lake Grange and the Eagles Lodge, where she enjoyed bingo games.
Her husband died in 1984.
Survivors include a daughter, Valerie Smith of Sandpoint; two sons, Douglas Yergens of Blanchard, Idaho and Steven Yergens of Newport; a sister, Gladys Olson of Saskatchewan; six grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. Memorial contributions may be made to the Priest River Animal Rescue, P.O. Box 1626, Priest River, Idaho 83856.
Ward Fancher Jr.
Spokane
Memorial service for Ward Nelson Fancher Jr., 92, will be Thursday at 1:30 p.m. at Heritage Congregational Church, with reception to follow at 3 p.m. at Rockwood Manor. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Fancher, who died Friday, was born in Spokane.
He spent much of his youth in Southern California. His family returned to Spokane when he was 16, and in 1930 he graduated from Lewis and Clark High School.
He earned a mathematics degree in 1935 from Whitworth College, where he served as student body president and played football and baseball.
He married Charlotte Slater in 1936.
Mr. Fancher worked for S.H. Kress Co. as a management trainee until joining Washington Water Power as a draftsman in 1937. He was in the engineering department until 1946, when he was advanced to associate engineer and transferred to the treasury and accounting department. He worked at WWP for 38 years. When he retired in 1975 he was supervisor of rates, the power resource statistician and the retirements evaluator.
Mr. Fancher was a charter member of Heritage Congregational Church.
His wife died in 1994.
In 1997 he married Alice True.
Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Susan Sherrell of Kennewick; a son, Ward Fancher II of Spokane; four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Heritage Congregational Church.
Mike McMurtery
Spokane
Visitation for Mike L. McMurtery, 75, will be today from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Riplinger Funeral Home. Service is planned for Thursday at noon at Sunset Chapel at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Mr. McMurtery, a 54-year resident of Spokane, died Friday. He was born in Bonner Springs, Kan.
He enlisted in the Army Air Force at Fort Riley, Kan., in 1947 and was honorably discharged in 1950.
Mr. McMurtery was a retired Kaiser Mead employee. During the frequent lay-offs early in his career, he worked at a variety of jobs, from tending bar to hauling coal, and for a brief time he worked for the city.
In his younger years he enjoyed bowling, archery and playing softball.
Survivors include his wife, Lena; two sons, Michael and Gary McMurtery; a daughter, Brenda Nord; his former wife, Hedy McMurtery; five stepchildren, Linda Trieber, Jim and Dick Pettis, Judy Miller and Verna Jacobson; six grandchildren, one great-grandson, 14 stepgrandchildren and four stepgreat-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Spokane Veterans Affairs Hospital Hospice Unit.
Margaret (Behrens) Hills
Kelly Hill, Wash.
Funeral for Margaret Mae (Behrens) Hills, 84, will be Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Kettle River Grange. Burial will follow at the Kelly Hill Cemetery. Danekas Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Hills, a 74-year resident of Kelly Hill, died Friday.
She was born in Pasco, and her family moved to Kelly Hill when she was 9. She graduated from Marcus High School in 1939, and that year she married Clifton Hills in Colville. They made their home on his family’s farm in Kelly Hill, farming and raising cattle.
Her husband died in 1997.
Mrs. Hills was a member of the Kettle River Grange, Order of the Eastern Star and the Rollin-20s Camper Club. She enjoyed quilting, sewing and traveling.
Survivors include a son, John Hills of Spokane Valley; two daughters, Joyce Denison of Davenport, Wash., and Carolyn Redelings of Mesa, Ariz.; a brother, John Behrens of Kelly Hill; seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Tri-County Hospice.
Harry Faggetter
Spokane
Memorial service for Harry F. Faggetter, 86, will be Thursday at 11 a.m. at Holy Cross Cemetery Mausoleum. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Faggetter, who was born in Lomand, Alberta, died Sunday.
He graduated from Rogers High School in 1937. He served in the Army Air Force as a navigator during World War II. After returning to civilian life, he worked as an auto body repairman.
After retirement, Mr. Faggetter taught fly-tying in the Spokane Community College Extended Learning Program. He was also a longtime tour guide at the Spokane Fish Hatchery.
His hobbies included building muzzle-loaded rifles and bamboo fishing rods and tying fishing flies.
In 1986 he was honored as Fly Fisherman of the Year by the Inland Empire Fly Fishing Club.
Mr. Faggetter was a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars, Spokane Falls Muzzle Loaders, Inland Empire Fly Fishing Club, Spokane Fishing Club, Liars Club and the Spokane Rifle Club and was a lifelong member of the Democratic Party.
Survivors include his wife, Gloria; a daughter, Pamela Wolfrum; and a sister, Catherine Brown.
Memorial contributions may be made to Spokane Humane Society or Meals on Wheels.
James Knowles
Green Bluff
Memorial service for James Knowles, 61, will be today from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Green Bluff Grange. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Knowles, who was born in McMinnville, Ore., died Thursday.
He served in the Navy for 27 years, including six years on the USS Skagit and 21 years in the reserves. He also served 16 years as a member of the Navy color guard and volunteering as an officer in the Naval Sea Cadet Corps.
Mr. Knowles worked for Kaiser Aluminum for 33 years at the Trentwood Plant as an electrical engineer in charge of predictive maintenance.
He was a resident of Green Bluff for 20 years and served seven years as a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician for Fire District 4.
He was a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Survivors include his wife, Jacque; a daughter, Jennifer Knowles of Spokane; four sons, Jamie Knowles, Shad Panter, Andy Kelly and Troy Anglin all of Spokane; 10 siblings, Alice Rules, Vivian Hyslop, Robert, Butch, Duane, Ken, Joe, Ed and Susan Knowles and Anita Tuller; and five grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spokane.
Paul Emerson
Spokane
Memorial service for Paul Emerson, 36, will be Thursday at 2 p.m. at Cedonia (Wash.) Church. Strate Funeral Home in Davenport, Wash., is in charge of cremation.
Mr. Emerson, who was born in Ann Arbor, Mich., died Nov. 28.
He worked in Cheney as an electrical engineer.
Survivors include his father, Phillip Emerson of Fruitland, Wash.; and two brothers, Lawrence and Phillip Emerson, both of Cleveland.
William Vercoe
Spokane
Graveside service for William J. Vercoe, 93, will be Thursday at 11 a.m. at Spokane Memorial Gardens, followed by a memorial service at 3 p.m. at Riverview Care Center Chapel. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Vercoe, who was born in Spearfish, Mont., died last Wednesday.
He graduated from Plummer (Idaho) High School in 1929 and, at age 55, went back to school, attending Kinman University and North Idaho College.
Mr. Vercoe worked as a building contractor in Tekoa, Wash., and was involved with building the Tekoa Community Church. He later became an accountant and worked in tax service.
He was a member of the Odd Fellows Lodge.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Lillian Vercoe.
Survivors include four grandchildren, Valerie Mckern of Kettle Falls, Wash., Todd Vercoe of Cheney, Rene Miller of Spokane and Mindy Jones of Tri-Cities; and 11 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.